What Really Goes on in an Attic?
Jazmyne Anderson
The sunlight streamed through the single window of the old attic as the old rocking chair, the teapot and the old pair of hiking boots began to stir. It was a new day and the three of them were most apprehensive about this one. Today was the day that their owners were moving. The family had decided that they were going to move to a new house a while ago and as a result, they were having a yard sale. Among all of the forgotten things that were stored in the attic, the most looked up to were the rocking chair, the teapot and the pair of hiking boots. They'd been in the family for the longest time and they knew everything about the house and the owners. They provided guidance for those who had just been stored, and still held on to the foolish hope that maybe one day their owners would remember them and they'd see the artificial light of the rest of the house once more.
"Today is the day, dear ones," started the rocking chair. She didn't really have a name but she was called Etta, after her former owner, the grandmother of the family who had passed away over a decade ago. She'd seen many like herself come and go, over the years, so there was a lot of wisdom stored in the hard straw that she was woven from. "Today is the day when some of us may travel with the Wilson family, or be purchased by a new family. Wherever we may end up on our future endeavors, remember where we came from. Remember that these people took us into their homes, off of those store shelves where we were passed by, where we would sit and hope that one day someone would take us home and make use of us, so we could make them happy as we were made to do."
"But Etta, surely you don't think that all of us will be bought. What if no one has use for a teapot? Then what will I do? They won't put me in the trash, will they?" Daisy, the teapot's voice was filled with distress as she spoke. She had served the Wilson family's tea for eight years before they finally bought a new, more hi-tech teapot. Her replacement was red, shiny and looked like something out of the future instead of the down-home country look that Daisy had about her.
"Of course they'll put us in the trash if we aren't bought. What else are they going to do with us? They have no more use for us, otherwise they wouldn't have put us up here in the first place." One of the old worn-out hiking boots spoke with contempt for Daisy's lack of understanding of the real world. His name was Bruce and he didn't speak much. His gruff manner kept most of the others away from him and the only other tenants that he would speak to were Daisy and Etta. They were the only two who didn't let his sarcasm and disdain towards the world in general get to them. His other half, Bailey was very shy and didn't speak much. It seemed that he always angered his brother whenever he spoke, so he usually shied away from touchy subjects that already irked his brother.
"The way I see it, the older ones will be the first to go. They can't make any money off of anything that doesn't function so it'll be straight to the garbage collection for some." At this remark he cast a sidelong glance towards Etta. Even though he'd been here for almost as long as Etta, thirty years to be exact, he still felt that he had some wear left in him. He refused to acknowledge the fact that his and his brother's soles were worn to the very fabric on the insides and that their laces were now only mere threads that held themselves together for dear life.
Bailey was in strong disagreement with his brother. His sole was too thin to take on any more hikes, or even a walk around the block. He felt that he and his brother were better off in the attic, with all of their friends.
"Now Bruce, you know that's harsh and may not even be true. People buy things that don't work just as they buy things that are brand new out of the box. They're called collectors, and I'm sure that plenty of those collectors will be eager to buy each and every one of us to introduce into their homes as part of their inventory."
Soon enough, the Father of the Wilson family came up to the attic and proceeded to remove various things from their storage places and take them downstairs to the front of the house for the yard sale. There were many tearful goodbyes and before long there were only a few items left. Etta, Daisy and Bruce were all in the same corner along with a pair of dusty skis and a large armoire that had broken hinges. Mr. Wilson put it in the attic with the intention of fixing it when there was time, but it was soon forgotten like the rest of those in the attic.
"Well, it looks like it's just us three left," Daisy said. "I wonder which one of us goes down first." Her voice got a little shaky as she realized that this is the last time that she would ever see her best friends. She began to weep as she thought of all the good times they had shared in that little corner.
"There, there dear. Don't cry. Once you're in your new owner's home you'll make new friends and be used once again to hold that fine tea that the Wilson family would always brag about." Etta's motherly nature helped to soothe Daisy and she eventually calmed down. Etta felt the same way as Daisy, but she didn't believe that her own words could apply to herself. She knew that she would never find anyone to replace Bruce and Daisy and hoped that she wouldn't be bought at all. She was past her prime and if anyone tried to sit on her hard straw, she would break.
"Meh, I don't know about you two but I'm sure that someone will buy me. And once they do, I'll see that wonderful outdoors and feel the gravel crunch under my rubber once again as I trek across mountains day in and day out." Bruce's voice was filled with confidence as he spoke but Etta could tell that on the inside, he didn't believe his own words. She knew that he was just covering for the fact that he was just as afraid of his fate as Daisy and herself, but she left him alone. Everyone has their own way of coping with the ugly truth.
Bailey shared the same thoughts as Etta. He knew his brother better than anyone else, and he knew how hard it was for Bruce to accept the fact that they were destined to sit in a corner and collect dust. He remembered when the two of them were a new pair, fresh out of the box and how Mr. Wilson would go on hikes almost every weekend. Then the hikes became farther apart, and before they knew it, Bruce and Bailey were in the attic with all of the other forgotten possessions. Bruce would sometimes tell everyone how they would be back out there and on the trails in no time, that this was only a temporary adjustment since the Wilsons' son was born. But soon, the temporary adjustment began looking a lot more like a permanent one an there was nothing Bailey could do but watch his brother turn into a bitter old boot.
About a half hour later the three of them were brought down to the front lawn. They spent their last moments together thinking of what their new families would be like. Etta sat beside the table where Bruce and Daisy were placed. After another hour of potential buyers scrutinizing and critiquing them on whether they were worth buying, Mrs. Wilson came out of the house to inspect the sales.
"John, why is my mother's rocking chair out here? I thought I told you that we were taking it with us." Mrs. Wilson said to her husband while picking up Daisy. "I told you that we're keeping this teapot too. It belonged to my great aunt and I'd be crushed if we had to sell it, even if we don't use it anymore."
"Sorry honey, it must have slipped my mind. I'll go put the rocking chair in the moving truck and you put the teapot into one of the smaller boxes."
After hearing this exchange, Daisy and Etta were ecstatic. They weren't going to be sold after all! But then, almost as fast as their happiness had come, it disappeared. They looked over at Bruce, sitting on the table pretending that he didn't hear what had just happened. Etta tried to console him just as she was lifted and carried away. The last thing she saw was a customer asking Mr. And Mrs. Wilson's son about him. Bruce was sold to a collector who wanted to increase his stock of hiking boots. He was looking for a specific pair made in 1982, by a company that produced very good hiking boots. However, that company had gone out of business a few years back and the man couldn't find any more of their boots anywhere. Bruce and Bailey just so happened to be the pair that he had been looking for. Etta and Daisy shared a glance as they watched Bruce and Bailey being carried away, with extreme care, by their new owner. They were happy that they had found a new home, even if it wasn't one that would bring Bruce back to the lifestyle that he knew and loved from back in the day.
-The End-